Leap of faith

In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

For other uses, see Leap of faith (disambiguation).

Idiomatic usage[edit]

As an idiom, leap of faith can refer to the act of believing something that is unprovable.^[1] The term can also refer to a risky thing a person does in hopes of a positive outcome.^[2] Moreover, leap of faith may also refer to a mechanic in videogames in which the player is forced to jump to a platform or location that cannot be seen from the player's current position.^[3]

Kierkegaard, Søren

The Concept of Anxiety

Philosophical Fragments

Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits

Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments

Works of Love

Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim (1956) [1777]. (PDF). In Henry Chadwick (ed.). Lessing's Theological Writing. A Library of Modern Religious Thought. Stanford University Press.

"On the Proof of the Spirit and of Power"

——— (2005) [1777]. "On the Proof of the Spirit and of Power". In H. B. Nisbet (ed.). Philosophical and Theological Writings. Translated by H. B. Nisbet. Cambridge University Press.

Nathan the Wise

(1848), Truth and poetry, from my own life (autobiography), translated by John Oxenford.

von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang

Lessing's Theological Writings, Selections in Translation Stanford University Press, Jun 1, 1957

Gotthold Lessing

Leap of Faith (Video)

Center on Capitalism & Society 200 Anniversary of Soren Kierkegaard

Jack Crabtree (Gutenberg College, Eugene Oregon) Explaining Kierkegaard

YouTube Video

Marx and Kierkegaard, Sea of Faith, 1984 BBC documentary

YouTube video